Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Trimmed by Bokf Na

Key Points

• Bokf Na reduced its Costco stake by 3.5% in the third quarter, selling 1,025 shares and retaining 28,086 shares valued at approximately $25.6 million. Institutional investors overall own 68.48% of the company, with several major funds increasing their positions.
• Costco reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $6.75 per share and revenue of $95.72 billion, beating estimates and marking 11.1% year-over-year revenue growth. Despite the performance, the stock trades at a high valuation, with a P/E ratio of 47.34.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47, representing a 0.6% annualized yield. Analysts remain broadly positive, assigning the stock a “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $1,086.19, although several firms recently lowered their targets.

Bokf Na trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,086 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,025 shares during the quarter. Bokf Na's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer's stock worth $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,488,203,000 after acquiring an additional 773,651 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,068,312 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,870,314,000 after acquiring an additional 160,893 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,839,016 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,828,881,000 after acquiring an additional 283,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,362,188,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Costco Wholesale News

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded its healthcare offering through a NationsBenefits partnership, allowing members to redeem eligible benefits in real time at checkout across more than 600 U.S. warehouses. The initiative could increase member engagement, convenience and store traffic while supporting Costco’s growing healthcare business. Costco brings real-time health benefit checkouts to more than 600 stores
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer opened a new warehouse in Western New York, adding capacity and reinforcing its long-term strategy of expanding its membership base and geographic footprint. Costco opens its doors in Western New York
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Costco’s fifth consecutive earnings beat, strong pharmacy growth and improving digital conversions, including gains from AI-powered website search. Analysts also point to improving technical momentum heading into November. Costco momentum is improving heading into November
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotional offers providing new Gold Star members with a $45 digital Costco Shop Card for a $65 membership may help attract sign-ups, although the near-term effect on revenue and margins is unclear. New Costco Gold Star membership promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term investment commentary remains broadly bullish, with Costco viewed as a defensive compounder and a potential healthcare or Medicare disrupter. However, these are forward-looking theses rather than new financial guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to question Costco’s valuation near $1,000 per share, arguing that its premium multiple already reflects substantial growth. Expensive valuation and mixed macroeconomic conditions could pressure the stock if sales or margins merely meet expectations. Costco valuation remains a head scratcher
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of COST, creating modest technical pressure. Separately, Costco withdrew an application for a proposed Idaho warehouse, highlighting that expansion plans can face local or regulatory setbacks. Costco sees net ETF selling
• Negative Sentiment: The upcoming $1.47 dividend offers a relatively low yield at Costco’s current share price, limiting its appeal to income-focused investors and reducing support from dividend-driven buying.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $982.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $940.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $969.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $435.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.34, a PEG ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.87 EPS. Costco Wholesale's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 28.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Friday, September 25th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $1,125.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Freedom Broker lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,030.00 to $1,010.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.

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